


The Only Gift That Matters

by hopecanbeyoursword



Series: Iron Dad Bingo [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Family Feels, Gen, Iron Family, Irondad, Irondad Bingo 2019, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21950146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopecanbeyoursword/pseuds/hopecanbeyoursword
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Peter finds himself at the compound, with his family.Prompt: Cuddling
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Pepper Potts, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Iron Dad Bingo [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1334488
Comments: 1
Kudos: 152





	The Only Gift That Matters

Peter yawned as he burrowed further underneath the pile of blankets.

He could hear the Christmas music playing softly from the kitchen, where Pepper was humming along, baking cookies. May was with her, helping. She wasn’t actually doing the baking, something that Peter was secretly grateful for. He loved his aunt, but cooking and baking weren’t her strong suits. Instead, she passed Pepper bowls, or handed her the bottles of spices, trading stories about their youth.

The two women had gotten close to each other over the past months, brought together by the bond Peter and Tony had formed. They had quickly become friends, often telling embarrassing stories about Tony and Peter. It was nice, for both of them, to have someone who understood what it was like having a loved one who threw himself into danger all the time, who was willing to do whatever it took to keep people safe, even at their own expense.

It was their first holiday as a family.

Family. A word that meant a lot to Peter. The first Christmas after Ben had been hard. It had been subdued, and neither he, nor May, felt like putting up the decorations. The second Christmas after Ben had seen May called into work at three am Christmas morning, due to a serious flu outbreak. Peter has spent the whole day out on patrol, only going home when May had called, saying she was on the way home. He threw a pizza in the oven, and laid out the few presents he had gotten for her on the dining room table.

It hadn’t been much, but they had each other.

This year, though, Tony had insisted that both Parkers come to the compound for the holiday.They had both agreed, and at noon on the 24th, piled into the car Tony had sent for them, Happy having the day off, laden with gifts. Thought they weren’t rich by any means, they had set aside money for the holiday, as a thanks to Pepper and Tony for everything they did.

Lunch had been pizza, with two set aside just for Peter, due to his fast metabolism. Rhodey had arrived a few hours later, right before dinner. He, too, also had a lot of gifts on him. They were added to the pile under the ginormous tree. There were so many presents that it seemed like there were at least twenty people, rather than five.

The afternoon and evening had been spent eating the food that Rhodey and Pepper made, playing games, watching movies, and Peter belting Christmas songs at the top of his lungs.

At ten, the two women went to the kitchen, planning on making cookies for the following day. Tony and Rhodey had stayed with Peter in the living room, talking quietly on the couch next to the one the teenager was sprawled across. He could also hear the slight whirring of Rhodey’s braces. It wouldn’t be loud enough for anyone else to hear, unless they had super-hearing. 

Peter paid them no mind, focusing on the movie instead. He had a large pile of blankets wrapped around him, as he always got cold easily in the winter.

He was half asleep, too comfortable to stand up and make his way to his room. At first, it had surprised him he had a room in the compound, but he had since gotten used to it. He and Tony had been family to each other for long enough, something that filled a hole in his life.

Peter didn’t remember his parents very much, and as much as he loved his uncle, that’s who he had always been, Uncle Ben. Tony, now, filled the role of father figure, something that Peter never really had a sense of before. It had been hard to stomach, at first. Not because he didn’t want it. But because he didn’t want it to seem like he was replacing Richard or Ben. Aunt May had assured him he was just making room in his heart to love more people.

With that in mind, it had been easy to let happen.

* * *

“This the family Christmas you always wanted, but never thought you would get?” Rhodey teased gently, a genuine smile on his face.

“Yeah, sure is,” Tony snarked back, before smiling, too.

“I’m happy for you, Tones.” Rhodey had been at Tony’s side through a lot. They had been friends since the younger man was fifteen, fresh faced and eager to learn at MIT. There had been a lot of good memories, but there had also been a lot of bad memories. The kidnappings, the death of the Starks, the terrorist attacks, Ten Rings. The palladium poisoning, the Civil War. Rhodey had been at Tony’s side through all the ups and downs, watched as Tony loved and lost. Rhodey had been one of the only people there to pick up the pieces, and try and stitch him back together. It took him finding Tony after the first kidnapping for the younger man to trust him. Rhodey tried to prove to his friend that he would never leave, and it seemed like finally, after Afghanistan, he was believed.

Pepper had been the next one to stay, even when she and Tony weren’t together. They respected each other, and the woman had been one of the few people who was able to see past the facades Tony had up. She stayed, and now, they were in a place where they could be together.

It had been Peter who made Tony ready for stability, and who allowed him to be ready for a real family. For that, Rhodey would be forever grateful. The teen had allowed his best friend, his brother, to be the man Rhodey always knew he could be.

* * *

Tony grimaced as he pushed himself up, bones cracking slightly. Rhodey had joined the women in the kitchen, helping himself to a piece of fudge that Pepper had made earlier that morning.

Tony made his way over to the couch where Peter was lazing, half-asleep. The teen seemed to be trying to decide if he should wake up, or fall asleep.

“Hey, bud,” Tony whispered as he plopped down next to him. “Can you make some more room for me?”

Peter stirred, sleepily turning around in his pile of blankets. He managed to sit up, moving closer to Tony, before slumping against the man’s shoulder. He pulled the blanket up to his chin, pushing his head closer to Tony’s body.

Tony got the hint, chuckling softly. He wrapped his arm around Peter’s shoulder, before running his fingers through the soft curls. Still half-asleep, Peter leaned into the touch, sighing softly as he let any remaining energy slip away.

Smiling, Tony settled in, aware that there was no moving Peter anytime soon. The kid was like an octopus, latching on to Tony and May especially. It was even worse when he was tired. At first, Tony had been uncomfortable with it, but by now, he actually enjoyed it. He continued his ministrations, the quiet voices of May, Pepper and Rhodey, lulling him to sleep.

* * *

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

Peter woke up to May’s voice. He smiled up at her as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “Merry Christmas, Aunt May.”

Peter stayed curled up to Tony, basking in the attention. He was a big cuddler, and really only had May to rely on for hugs growing up. He had been well aware that Mr. Stark wasn’t one for physical contact, so he had tried to respect that. Even when Peter really wanted to hug the man, he settled for a smile.

It wasn’t until after the fight with the Vulture, that they had gotten closer. Peter wasn’t sure when their relationship had shifted from mentor and mentee, to father and son. But it had, and Peter would be always be grateful.

May took the spot on Peter’s other side, pulling his feet onto her lap, so he could stretch out a bit more.

Pepper walked out with Rhodey a moment later, mugs of hot chocolate on a tray in her hands. She handed one to everyone that was awake, before sitting next to her fiancé’s best friend on the other couch.

Peter beamed at her in thanks, before cuddling up closer to his parental figures. While he was excited about the gifts that were for him under the tree, he didn’t mind waiting until Tony was awake. It was good for the man to get uninterrupted sleep, and Peter was quite comfortable curled up between the two adults.

He had his family, which was the only gift he really wanted. He had lost his parents, and his uncle, and while that would always hurt, he had accepted it. 

Because he had gained family in Pepper, Rhodey, and Tony, and Aunt May, the one person who had always been at his side, was still there.

Under the glow of Christmas lights, they spoke quietly, exchanging funny stories about Tony. They laughed at each new reveal, the man they knew not at all like the man the public knew.

When the man woke up, he pretended to be insulted, before allowing himself to be roped into the conversation, interjecting half-hearted self-defenses every so often. He smiled as he shifted his arm that was asleep, before running his fingers through Peter’s curls.

This was the best Christmas he ever had.

**Author's Note:**

> To those that celebrate, Merry Christmas!  
> To those that don't, I hope you have a great day, and that if you do celebrate another holiday, that you enjoy it.


End file.
